Method and system for wireless coverage redundancy

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods are provided for providing wireless coverage redundancy in case, for example, the backhaul of an access point (AP) base station is not available. In one embodiment, the method involves monitoring the backhaul, and in response to the backhaul being available, facilitating communication between an access terminal (AT) and the macro network via the backhaul. In addition, or in the alternative (e.g., when the backhaul is not available), a communication signal between the AT and a macro base station (or another AP base station) may be boosted.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present application relates generally to wireless communications,and more specifically to methods and systems for facilitatingcommunication between a wireless device and a macro network using a dualmode base station.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) tomultiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data servicesrapidly grows, there lies a challenge to implement efficient and robustcommunication systems with enhanced performance.

In recent years, users have started to replace fixed line communicationswith mobile communications and have increasingly demanded great voicequality, reliable service, and low prices. In addition to mobile phonenetworks currently in place, a new class of small base stations hasemerged, which may be installed in a user's home and provide indoorwireless coverage to mobile units using existing broadband internetconnections. Such personal miniature base stations are generally knownas an access point (AP) base station, also referred to as Home Node B(HNB) unit, femto cell, femto base station (fBS), base station, or basestation transceiver system (BTS). Typically, such miniature basestations are connected to the internet and the mobile operator's networkvia a digital subscriber line (DSL) router or cable modem.

AP base stations or femto cells allow for cellular access where basestation support is weak or unavailable (e.g., indoors, remote locations,and the like). AP base stations may be described as small base stationsthat connect to wireless service providers via a broadband backhaullink, such as DSL, cable internet access, T1/T3, etc., and offer typicalbase station functionality, such as base transceiver station (BTS)technology, radio network controller, and gateway support node services.This allows an access terminal (AT), also referred to as acellular/mobile device or handset, or user equipment (UE), to connect tothe AP base stations and utilize the wireless service. It is noted thatATs can include, for example, cellular phones, smart phones, laptops,handheld communication devices, handheld computing devices, satelliteradios, navigational devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and/orany other suitable device for communicating over a wirelesscommunication system.

Sometimes the backhaul associated with a given AP base station may notbe available for a whole host of reasons, including but not limited towhen there is outage or failure of the backhaul or when the backhaul isintentionally disconnected. It is noted that the backhaul may not beavailable during normal backhaul operations, such as when the backhaulservice provider is running or performing a maintenance procedure, aline adjustment, an upgrade, a test, or the like, or combinationsthereof. The running of such tests, upgrades, etc. may be common orroutine for residential backhauls or the like. In situations where suchbackhaul outages occur (planned or unplanned) and/or the signal strengthfor communications from/to a macro base station is weak, it would bedesirable to provide an alternative way to facilitate communicationbetween a given AT and the macro network. Accordingly, there is a needfor a method and system for implementing an AP base station thatprovides wireless redundancy in case the backhaul is not available, orin case one or more ATs do not have access to the AP base stationdespite being the coverage area of the AP base station.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodimentsin order to provide a basic understanding of such embodiments. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated embodiments,and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of allembodiments nor delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. Its solepurpose is to present some concepts of one or more embodiments in asimplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that ispresented later.

In accordance with one or more embodiments and corresponding disclosurethereof, various aspects are described in connection with a method forwireless coverage redundancy. For example, the method may involvemonitoring a communication backhaul in operative communication with amacro network. In response to the backhaul being available, the methodmay involve facilitating communication between an access terminal (AT)and the macro network via the backhaul. Additionally, or alternatively,such as in response to the backhaul not being available (e.g., when thebackhaul is intentionally disconnected, when there is unintentionalfailure, such as when the backhaul fails to operate normally, or whenthere is no failure but the backhaul service provider is performing amaintenance procedure, an upgrade, a test, etc.), the method may involveboosting a communication signal between the AT and a base station inoperative communication with the macro network.

In related aspects, when the backhaul is available, the step offacilitating communication may involve allowing the AT to access anaccess point (AP) base station in operative communication with thebackhaul. Facilitating may further involve allowing the macro network tolocate and communicate with the AT via the AP base station.

In further related aspects, when the backhaul is not available, the stepof boosting the communication signal may involve boosting the signalbetween the AT and a macro base station in operative communication withthe macro network. In the alternative, or in addition, boosting mayinvolve boosting the signal between the AT and a separate AP basestation associated with another communication backhaul in operativecommunication with the macro network.

In accordance with one or more embodiments and corresponding disclosurethereof, various aspects are described in connection with devices andapparatuses for wireless coverage redundancy. The example, a wirelesscommunication device may include: a backhaul interface for acommunication backhaul in operative communication with a macro network;and a transceiver module for communicating with at least one of (i) anaccess terminal (AT), (ii) the macro network via the backhaul, and (iii)a base station in operative communication with the macro network. Thedevice may include: at least one processor operatively coupled with theinterface and the transceiver module; and a memory module operativelycoupled with the at least one processor.

The memory may include comprising executable code for the at least oneprocessor to: (a) monitor the backhaul; (b) in response to the backhaulbeing available, facilitate communication between the AT and the macronetwork via the backhaul; and (c) in response to the backhaul not beingavailable, boosting a communication signal between the AT and the basestation. In one embodiment, the base station comprises a macro basestation in operative communication with the macro network. In anotherembodiment, the base station comprises a separate AP base stationassociated with another communication backhaul in operativecommunication with the macro network.

In related aspects, the at least one processor may facilitatecommunication between the AT and the macro network by allowing the AT toaccess an access point (AP) of the device in operative communicationwith the backhaul. The at least one processor may allow the macronetwork to locate and communicate with the AT via the AP base station.

In further related aspects, the transceiver module may include atransceiver for communicating with (i) the macro network via thebackhaul and (ii) the base station. In the alternative, the transceivermodule may include a first transceiver for communicating with the macronetwork via the backhaul, as well as a second transceiver forcommunicating with the base station.

In still further related aspects, the at least one processor mayregulate at least one of (i) a first transmission power of the firsttransceiver and (ii) a second transmission power of the secondtransceiver to reduce interference between first and secondtransmissions. In one approach, the at least one processor may match thefirst and second transmission powers to be approximately equal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a wireless communication system inaccordance with one or more aspects set forth herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary environment within which a dual modebase station may be implemented.

FIG. 4A illustrates one embodiment of a dual mode base station.

FIG. 4B illustrates another embodiment of a dual mode base station.

FIGS. 5-8 illustrate exemplary architectures for wireless communicationsystems.

FIG. 9A shows one embodiment of a method for providing wireless coverageredundancy.

FIG. 9B shows sample aspects of the method shown in FIG. 9A.

FIGS. 10A-B show another embodiment of a method for providing wirelesscoverage redundancy.

FIG. 11A illustrates one embodiment of an apparatus for providingwireless coverage redundancy.

FIGS. 11B-C illustrate sample aspects of the apparatus shown in FIG. 11A

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings,wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elementsthroughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of one or more embodiments. It may be evident, however,that such embodiment(s) can be practiced without these specific details.In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments.

Access point (AP) base stations can be deployed to individual consumersand placed in homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, and thelike. An AP base station can communicate wirelessly with an AT in rangeof the AP base station utilizing a licensed cellular transmission band.Further, AP base stations may be connected to a core cellular network byway of an Internet Protocol (IP) connection, such as a DigitalSubscriber Line (DSL, e.g., including Asymmetric DSL (ADSL), High datarate DSL (HDSL), Very high speed DSL (VDSL), etc.), a TV cable carryingIP traffic, a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) connection, or likeconnection. The connection between the IP line and the cellular networkcan be a direct connection, or by way of the internet. An AP basestation, therefore, can provide cellular support to an AT or cellularhandset and route cellular traffic (e.g., voice, data, video, audio,internet, etc.) to a macro cellular network through the IP connection.This mechanism can save consumers air time costs and reduce a networkprovider's cellular network traffic load. Also, cellular coverage insidea home, office building, apartment, etc. can be greatly improved viaimplementation of AP base stations. It is noted that the AP base stationcan communicate with the core cellular network by way of a non-IPconnection that implements Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) or the like.

Although an AP base station is capable of forming a cellular link (e.g.,a wireless link utilizing one or more licensed radio networkfrequencies) with multiple ATs, a consumer typically desires only his orher own traffic to be carried by a private IP connection connected tothe AP base station. For instance, consumers may wish to preserve IPbandwidth for their own use, rather than for the use of other AT users.As a result, an AP base station is generally associated only with asingle AT or group of ATs, and traffic related to such AT(s) is routedover the consumer's IP connection, whereas traffic related to other ATsis blocked. Consequently, although the AP base station can communicatewith multiple ATs regardless of subscriber, the AP base station istypically programmed to ignore devices that are not associated with aparticular consumer, service plan, or the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100configured to support a number of users, in which various disclosedembodiments and aspects may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, by wayof example, system 100 provides communication for multiple cells 102,such as, for example, macro cells 102 a-102 g, with each cell beingserviced by a corresponding access point (AP) 104 (such as APs 104 a-104g). Each cell may be further divided into one or more sectors. Variousaccess terminals (ATs) 106, including ATs 106 a-106 k, also knowninterchangeably as user equipment (UE), are dispersed throughout thesystem. Each AT 106 may communicate with one or more APs 104 on aforward link (FL) and/or a reverse link (RL) at a given moment,depending upon whether the AT is active and whether it is in softhandoff, for example. Wireless communication system 100 may provideservice over a large geographic region, for example, macro cells 102a-102 g may cover a few blocks in a neighborhood.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a wireless communication system 200 isillustrated in accordance with various embodiments presented herein.System 200 comprises a macro base station 202 that can include multipleantenna groups. For example, one antenna group can include antennas 204and 206, another group can comprise antennas 208 and 210, and anadditional group can include antennas 212 and 214. Two antennas areillustrated for each antenna group; however, more or fewer antennas canbe utilized for each group. Base station 202 can additionally include atransmitter chain and a receiver chain, each of which can in turncomprise a plurality of components associated with signal transmissionand reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators,demultiplexers, antennas, etc.), as will be appreciated by one skilledin the art. Base station 202 can communicate with one or more ATs, suchas, for example, AT 216 and AT 222.

As depicted in FIG. 2, AT 216 is in communication with antennas 212 and214, where antennas 212 and 214 transmit information to AT 216 over aforward link 218 and receive information from AT 216 over a reverse link220. Moreover, AT 222 is in communication with antennas 204 and 206,where antennas 204 and 206 transmit information to AT 222 over a forwardlink 224 and receive information from AT 222 over a reverse link 226. Ina Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, forward link 218 can utilize adifferent frequency band than that used by reverse link 220, and forwardlink 224 can employ a different frequency band than that employed byreverse link 226, for example. Further, in a Time Division Duplex (TDD)system, forward link 218 and reverse link 220 can utilize a commonfrequency band and forward link 224 and reverse link 226 can utilize acommon frequency band.

Each group of antennas and/or the area in which they are designated tocommunicate can be referred to as a sector of macro base station 202.For example, antenna groups can be designed to communicate to ATs in asector of the areas covered by base station 202. In communication overforward links 218 and 224, the transmitting antennas of base station 202can utilize beamforming to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of forwardlinks 218 and 224 for ATs 216 and 222. Also, while base station 202utilizes beamforming to transmit to ATs 216 and 222 scattered randomlythrough an associated coverage, ATs in neighboring cells can be subjectto less interference as compared to a base station transmitting througha single antenna to all its ATs. Moreover, ATs 216 and 222 cancommunicate directly with one another using a peer-to-peer or ad hoctechnology in one example.

Similar functionality of macro base station 202 can be implemented in APbase stations 228 and 230, which can be deployed in smaller scalelocations, such as a residence or office building for example. Asmentioned previously, AP base stations are also referred to as femtocells or Home Node B (HNB) units, and can have a broadband backhaul linkto a wireless service provider, such as over DSL, cable, T1/T3, etc.,and can provide wireless communication service to one or more ATs. Asshown, AP base station 228 can communicate with one or more AT(s) 232over a forward link 234 and receive communication from the AT(s) 232over a reverse link 236 similarly to the base station 202.

According to an example, AP base station 230 can be deployed to providewireless service access. AP base station 230 can connect to a wirelessservice access provider via broadband backhaul link, one or moredisparate femto cells or macro cells over-the-air, etc. Upon beingdeployed, AP base station 230 can optionally self-configure to avoidinterference with surrounding femto cells (e.g., AP base station 228)and macro cells (e.g., base station 202 or a sector/cell thereof). Inthis regard, AP base station 230 can receive signals from the basestation 202 and disparate AP base station 228 much like ATs 216, 222,and 232. The signals can be overhead system messages that can beutilized by the AP base station 230 to determine configurationparameters utilized by the disparate AP base station 228 and/or basestation 202.

The configuration parameters can be determined by AP base station 230for similar environment configuration. In addition, the parameters canbe determined and utilized to ensure AP base station 230 selectsdifferent parameters to mitigate interference. These parameters caninclude, for example, a channel identifier (e.g., a Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) channel ID), a pseudo-noise (PN) offset, and/orthe like, for AP base station 228, macro base station 202, and/orsubstantially any other surrounding transmitters. AP base station 230can accordingly self-configure its channel identifier, PN offset, etc.so as not to interfere with the surrounding femto cells and macro cells.Additionally, AP base station 230 can utilize this information to builda neighbor list of surrounding femto cells and macro cells to facilitatehard and soft handoffs for devices communicating with AP base station230. It is noted that AP base station 230 may be adapted to receive RFsignals, for example, from AP base station 228 and/or base station 202to determine timing, location, and/or the like.

As previously mentioned, there is a need for an AP base station provideswireless redundancy in case the backhaul is not available, or in caseone or more ATs do not have access to the AP base station. Thetechniques described herein address the need for ATs to communicate witha macro network of a wireless service provider even when the backhaul isnot available and/or the signal strength for communications from/to amacro base station is weak. In accordance with aspects of the wirelesscoverage redundancy methods and systems described herein, FIG. 3illustrates an exemplary system 300 within which a dual mode basestation 315 may be implemented. Dual mode base station 315 may operatein femto mode, repeater mode, and/or femto-repeater mode, as explainedin further detail below.

System 300 may include an AT 305 a in operative communication with amacro base station 310 operatively coupled to a macro network 330, whichcomprises or is otherwise operatively coupled to a macro network core.System 300 may also include an AT 305 b in operative communication withdual mode base station 315, operatively coupled to a communicationbackhaul 325, which is in turn operatively coupled to the network coreof macro network 330.

In operation, mobile device 305 a may send and receive data from macrobase station 310 via a communication link 307, which may use variouscommunication standards such as CDMAone, CDMA2000, Wideband CDMA(W-CDMA, also known as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS)), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Long Term Evolution (LTE),LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAx), etc. Base station 310 may be in communication with macronetwork 330 via link 308. It is noted that system 300 may be configuredto operate on 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) (Re199, Re15,Re16, Re17) technology, as well as 3GPP2 (1xRTT, 1xEV-DO Re10, RevA,RevB) technology, and other known and related technologies.

Macro network 330 may include a network controller at its network core.Depending on the types of the communication network deployed, thenetwork controller may be a Radio Network Controller (RNC), a modifiedRNC, an Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) network controller (UNA), or aSession Initiation Protocol (SIP) gateway, or the like. In theillustrated example, macro base station 310 is in operativecommunication with RNC 332 of macro network 330. In the embodiment ofFIG. 3, macro network 330 includes a Base Station Controller (BSC) orRNC 332. BSC/RNC 332 may be in operative communication with a MessageSwitching Center (MSC) 334 or similar service delivery node responsiblefor handling voice calls, Short Message Service (SMS), as well as otherservices (e.g., conference calls, FAX and circuit switched data). MSC334 may set up and release the end-to-end connections, handle mobilityand hand-over requirements during the call, take care of charging andreal time pre-paid account monitoring, etc.

MSC 334 may include or be coupled to a Visitor Location Register (VLR)336 or similar temporary database of network subscribers who haveentered or roamed into a particular area. VLR 336 may be in operativecommunication with a registry (not shown), which may generally comprisea database that contains details of mobile phone subscribers authorizedto use the operator's network. MSC 334 may be in operative communicationwith a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 340, Public Line MobileNetwork (PLMN), or other similar network. In this way, macro network 330can deliver voice and data services to end users that are connected toone of those networks. System 300 may be scaled to include additionalMSCs and registries (not shown) in operative communication with MSC 334to increase capacity.

In related aspects, mobile device 305 b may communicate with macronetwork 330 via dual mode base station 315 configured to use backhaulservice 325 to transfer voice and/or non-voice data therebetween.Backhaul service 325 may include the internet, a DSL service, a cableinternet service, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN),a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS), or any other suitable broadbandnetwork or the like. Mobile 305 b may communicate with base station 315via communication link 309, and may incorporate one or more features ofAP base stations described above with reference to FIG. 2. It is notedthat base station 315 includes as one of its features the ability toprovide a femto cell through which a given AT may communicate with thenetwork core of the macro network 330.

Dual mode base station 315 may be configured to transfer data overbackhaul network 325 via communication link 311. Depending on the typeof system being deployed, communication link 311 may use Voice over IP(VoIP), UMA signaling, SIP signaling, or other suitable communicationnetwork protocol, such as, for example, Iub over IP. Iub is a standardtransport protocol that may be designed to encapsulate voice and/ornon-voice data and to signal as an IP that is tunneled over network 325.

Macro network 330 may process data received from network 325 with asuitable network controller, analogous to the manner in which macronetwork 330 handles data from macro base station 310. The type ofnetwork controller used by macro network 330 depends at least in part onthe architecture or types of components of dual mode base station 315.For example, there are various femto cell architectures such as, forexample, IP Radio Access Network (RAN) and SIP/IMS. Within the IP RANarchitecture there may be provided various femto cell solutions, suchas, for example, modified RNCs, concentrators, etc. implementing varioushardware architectures in the network core and/or in the dual mode basestation.

It is also noted that system 300 may comprise WAN macro cells and femtocells deployed within the same general geographical area that reuse thesame carrier as the WAN system. In one approach, the WAN system may usea legacy technology, while the femto cell system may use a newtechnology, such as, for example, an evolved version of the legacytechnology that supports AP base station operation efficiently.

In further related aspects, dual mode base station 315 may be configuredto transfer data between a given mobile device 305 and macro network 330using either the built-in femto cell functionalities or the repeaterfunctionalities. When dual mode base station 315 operates in femto mode,base station 315 may communicate with the network core of macro network330 via network 325, as described above. When dual base station 315operates in repeater mode, base station 315 may act as a repeater formacro base station 310 and boost or amplify data signals from macro basestation 310 (e.g., via link 316) within an environment or structure inwhich base station 315 is located (e.g., homes, buildings, closed orisolated environments). For example, the structure may be located in arural area where signals from macro base station 310 may be weak. Withrespect to forward link communications, base station 315 may amplifysignals received from base station 310 and re-transmit the amplifiedsignals within the structure. With respect to reverse linkcommunications, base station 315 may amplify data signals received frommobile device 305 b and re-transmit the amplified signals to basestation 310.

In yet further related aspects, dual mode base station 315 may functioneither as an AP base station of a femto cell or as a repeater of a macrocell depending upon the availability/operating status of backhaulnetwork 325. For example, if network 325 is available (i.e., isproviding network connectivity to macro network 330), base station 315may operate as an AP base station. If network 325 is not available(including but not limited to when the backhaul is intentionallydisconnected, when there is unintentional failure, such as when thebackhaul fails to operate normally, or when there is no failure but thebackhaul service provider is performing a maintenance procedure, anupgrade, a test, etc.), base station 315 may operate as a repeater.

It is noted that the dual mode base station 315 may operate exclusivelyas an AP base station when backhaul 325 is functioning correctly, orexclusively as a repeater when network connectivity of backhaul 325 islost or is otherwise unavailable. In the alternative, base station 315may simultaneously operate as an AP base station for a femto cell and asa repeater for macro base station 310 of macro network 330. In thislatter mode (referred to herein as femto-repeater mode), base station315 may allow authorized ATs to access a given femto cell associatedwith base station 315 (via a femto module described in further detailbelow), while forwarding other unauthorized ATs to macro base station310 or another femto cell (via a repeater module described in furtherdetail below). Further details regarding the modules and components of adual mode base station, such as the femto and repeater modules, areprovided below with reference to the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the embodiments describedherein, there are provided devices for providing wireless coverageredundancy. Such devices typically have a module/portion that allows thedevice to operate as an AP base station (associated with a given femtocell), as well as a module/portion that allows the device to operate asa repeater (that boosts and forwards received signals to a macro cell oranother femto cell). In one embodiment, shown in FIG. 4A, the device mayinclude two separate transceivers or communication modules—one forcommunicating with the backhaul of a given femto cell and another onefor communicating with other base stations (e.g., a macro base stationassociated with a macro cell or an AP base station associated withanother femto cell). In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 4B, the devicemay include a single/common transceiver for communicating with abackhaul of given femto cell and/or other base stations that areassociated with macro cells or other femto cells.

With reference once again to FIG. 4A, there is illustrated an embodimentof a dual mode base station 400 that includes a femto module 410 with afemto transceiver 412, as well as a repeater module 420 with a repeatertransceiver 422. Base station 400 may also include acontroller/supervisor module 450 operatively coupled to femto andrepeater modules 410, 420. Base station 400 may include a common antenna455 coupled to femto and repeater modules 410, 420.

In related aspects, femto module 410 may also include a Femto AccessManager (FAM) 414 and a backhaul interface 416. FAM 414 may comprise acomputing/network device or server, and may be in operativecommunication with a database (not shown) that stores authenticationdata. The database may store information including or relating to one ormore of dual mode base station identities, owner identities, ownerpasswords, allowed identities, or the like. For example, FAM 414 maylook up an identity for base station 400 for a given transaction basedat least in part on an user device or AT identity (ID), identifier,and/or other related data entered by the AT user. FAM 414 may validatethe given transaction by using the AT ID and/or the password. Forexample, FAM 414 may validate the transaction when the AT ID matches astored owner's AT ID or the like.

Backhaul interface 416 may process data signals received from femtotransceiver 412 such that the data signals to macro network 330 can beproperly processed. For example, depending upon the architecture of thecore network of macro network 330, interface 416 may be configured topackage data signals from transceiver 412 using an Iub transportprotocol, UMA signaling, SIP signaling, a proprietary protocol, or othersuitable transport protocol, further details of which are provided belowwith reference to FIGS. 5-8.

In further related aspects, repeater module 420 may also include anamplification module 424 and/or a modulation module 426. It is notedthat repeater transceiver 422 may include a receiver antenna (not shown)for receiving data from AT 305 over a given RF frequency band, such as alicensed RF frequency band rented by the network carrier. It is alsonoted that repeater transceiver 422 may also include a transmitterantenna (not shown) for transmitting data signals amplified byamplification module 426 to macro base station 310, which in turnforwards the data signals to macro network 330. For example, repeater420 may simply amplify and retransmit the received signals. In thealternative, or in addition, repeater 420 may be an intelligent repeaterthat implements modulation module 428 to demodulate, amplify, andretransmit the received signals to base station 310.

Analogous to base station 310, transceivers 412 and/or 422 may beconfigured to communicate with mobile device 305 using RF frequencies ina licensed spectrum using an air interface such as CDMA2000, W-CDMA,WiMAX, LTE or other 3GPP interfaces. Alternatively, transceivers 412and/or 422 may be configured to communicate with mobile device 305 usingunlicensed RF frequencies such as air interface 802.11 (WirelessFidelity or Wi-Fi) and UMA/Generic Access Network (GAN), or othersuitable unlicensed RF frequency interface.

In yet further related aspects, control module 450 may monitor theavailability/operating status of backhaul 325 and operate in a pluralityof modes based at least in part on the status. For example, in one mode(repeater mode), controller 450 may select or otherwise activaterepeater module 420 to facilitate communication between AT 305 and macronetwork 330 when the status indicates that backhaul 325 is notavailable. In the alternative, or in addition, the controller 450 mayuse repeater module 420 to facilitate communication between AT 305 andan AP base station associated with another femto cell (i.e., a femtocell other than the one that base station 400 is associated with).

In another mode (femto mode), controller 450 may monitor (continuouslyor intermittently) backhaul 325, and select or otherwise activate femtomodule 410 to forward data between AT 305 and macro network 330 thebackhaul becomes available. In yet another mode (femto-repeater mode),controller 450 may place base station 400 in dual mode, whereby basestation 400 operates both as a (i) femto cell AP and (ii) a repeater formacro base station 310 of macro network 330. Controller 450 may beconfigured to allow authorized ATs to use femto cell 410, whileforwarding unauthorized ATs (i.e., devices without femto cell accessauthorization) to macro base station 310 and/or other femto cells usingrepeater 420.

In still further related aspects, controller 450 may selectively powerdown femto cell module 410 and/or repeater module 420. For example, ifbackhaul 325 is available and the femto module 410 is being used (e.g.,when base station 400 is in femto mode), then controller 450 may powerdown (or place in sleep or standby mode) repeater 420, thereby reducingpower consumption by base station 400. In the alternative, or inaddition, if the backhaul 325 is not available and the repeater module420 is being used (e.g., when base station 400 is in repeater mode),then controller 450 may place femto module 410 into sleep or standbymode. Controller 450 may power down femto module 410 when repeatermodule 420 is transferring all or most data between AT 305 and macronetwork 330 or another femto cell.

When the base station 400 is operating in femto-repeater mode,controller 450 may leave both femto cell module 410 and repeater module420 on. In this mode, controller 450 may monitor the transmission powerlevel of transceivers 412, 422 and regulate the power level of eachtransceiver. It should be noted that interference may result when twodata transmitting devices transmitting at different power levels withinthe same frequency band. To reduce such interference, controller 450 maybe adapted to set the power levels of transceivers 412, 422 to beapproximately the same. In this way, when two ATs are operating in thesame area (with one AT in communication with transceiver 412 and withanother AT in communication with transceiver 422), controller 450 maycontrol both transceivers 412, 422 to transmit at approximately the samepower level, thereby reducing interference between the respectivetransmitted signals.

With reference to FIG. 4B, there is shown another embodiment of a dualmode base station 470 that includes a FAM 414, a backhaul interface 416,a controller 450, an amplification module 426, and a modulation module428, each being in operative communication with one another, directly orindirectly. Base station 470 also includes a single femto-repeatertransceiver 480 in lieu of two separate transceivers (e.g., femtotransceiver 412 and repeater transceiver 422 in the embodiment of FIG.4A). Femto-repeater transceiver 480 may be in operative communicationwith the other components of base station 470, and may allow basestation 470 to communicate with a backhaul 325 of given femto celland/or other base stations (e.g., macro base station 310) that areassociated with macro cells, as well as other AP base stationsassociated with other femto cells. Otherwise, base station 470 issimilar to base station 400 shown in FIG. 4A, and may contain some ofthe same features and functionalities as base station 400.

With reference to FIG. 5, there is provided an embodiment of a wirelesscommunication system 500 that implements a modified RNC architecture.System 500 may include an AT 305 in operative communication with a dualmode base station 510 that may include a backhaul interface 520.Interface 520 is in operative communication with backhaul network 325,which is in operative communication with macro network 530. Macronetwork 530 may include a modified RNC 532 and an MSC 534.

It is noted that the architecture implemented in system 500 is referredto as a modified RNC architecture because the RNC at macro network 530is modified to properly accept Iub data packages being tunneled throughbackhaul 325 using IP signaling. Interface 520 may encapsulate datapackages as Iub over IP data using IP signaling. Because the Iub over IPdata are encapsulated with IP signaling, standard RNC at macro network330 may be modified to accept the encapsulated IP signals. Interface 520may include similar features and functionalities as backhaul interface416 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Once the data package is processed by MRNC532 and MSC 534, it is forwarded to an end user of a PSTN network 540 ora PLMN network 550. It is noted that modified RNC 532 and MSC 534 mayinclude similar features and functionalities as RNC 332 and MSC 334,respectively, of the embodiment of FIG. 3.

With reference to FIG. 6, there is provided an embodiment of a wirelesscommunication system 600 that implements an Iub concentratorarchitecture. System 600 may include an AT 305 in operativecommunication with a dual mode base station 610 that may include abackhaul interface 620. Interface 620 is in operative communication withbackhaul network 325, which is in operative communication with macronetwork 630. Macro network 630 may include a concentrator 632 and astandard RNC 634.

By using concentrator 610 designed to handle a large volume of femtocells (including those femto cells 650 other than the given femto cellthat base station 610 is associated with), system 600 may be scaled forlarge scale deployment. Interface 620 may use a transport protocol topackage its voice and non-voice data, which may then be transmitted toconcentrator 610 at macro network 630 via backhaul 325. Once theformatted data package is received by concentrator 610, it may bere-packaged as a standard Iub over IP package so that it can be properlyprocessed by RNC 634. Once the data package is processed by concentrator632 and RNA 634, it may be forwarded to an end user of a PSTN network640 or the like.

With reference to FIG. 7, there is provided an embodiment of a wirelesscommunication system 700 that implements a UMA/GAN enabled architecture.System 700 may include an AT 305 in operative communication with a dualmode base station 710 that may include a backhaul interface 720.Interface 720 is in operative communication with backhaul network 325,which is in operative communication with macro network 730. Macronetwork 730 may include a UMA network controller 732, a Serving GPRSSupport Node (SGSN) 734 and/or a MSC 736.

Interface 720 may be configured to package voice and non-voice datausing UMA signaling protocol. Interface 720 may include an integratedUMA or GAN client or the like. In this way, interface 720 may packageincoming and outgoing data using UMA signaling. At macro network 730,UMA network controller 732 may receive the UMA signaling data andforward it to SGSN 734 or MSC 736. The data may then be forwarded toPTSN network 740 or to another network that utilizes a GPRS tunnelingprotocol or the like.

With reference to FIG. 8, there is provided an embodiment of a wirelesscommunication system 800 that implements a Session Initiated Protocol(SIP) enabled architecture. System 800 may include an AT 305 inoperative communication with a dual mode base station 810 that mayinclude a backhaul interface 820. Interface 820 is in operativecommunication with backhaul network 325, which is in operativecommunication with macro network 830. Macro network 830 may include aSIP gateway 820. Interface 820 may include an integrated RNC or thelike. Data may be transferred between interface 820 and macro network830 using VoIP with SIP signaling. At macro network 830, SIP gateway 820may receive data from interface 820 and may then process and transferthe data to a PSTN network or other communication network.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the embodiments describedherein, there are provided methods for providing wireless coverageredundancy. With reference to the flow diagram shown in FIG. 9A, thereis provided a method 900 that may involve monitoring or determining anavailability/operating status of a communication backhaul in operativecommunication with a macro network (step 910). At step 920, in responseto the backhaul being available, the method 900 may involve facilitatingcommunication between an access terminal (AT) and the macro network viathe backhaul. The method 900 may involve, in response to the backhaulnot being available (e.g., when the backhaul is intentionallydisconnected, when there is unintentional failure, such as when thebackhaul fails to operate normally, or when the backhaul serviceprovider is running or performing a maintenance procedure, a lineadjustment, an upgrade, a test, or the like, or combinations thereof),boosting a communication signal between the AT and a base station inoperative communication with the macro network (step 930).

In related aspects, step 910 may involve monitoring the availability ofat least one of digital subscriber line (DSL), cable internet access,and Ethernet. In further related aspects, with reference now to the flowdiagram of FIG. 9B, step 920 may involve allowing the AT to access anaccess point (AP) in operative communication with the backhaul (step922). Step 920 may also involve allowing the macro network to locate andcommunicate with the AT via the AP base station (step 924).

In yet further related aspects, step 930 may involve boosting the signalbetween the AT and a macro base station in operative communication withthe macro network (step 932), and/or boosting the signal between the ATand a separate AP base station associated with another communicationbackhaul in operative communication with the macro network (step 934).Boosting may involve: receiving the signal; amplifying the receivedsignal; and forwarding the amplified signal to at least one of the ATand the given base station.

In still other related aspects, the method 900 may also involve, as step940, regulating at least one of (i) a first power level of a firsttransmission to the AT and (ii) a second power level of a secondtransmission to another AT to reduce interference between the first andsecond transmissions. Regulating comprises matching the first and secondpower levels (step 942).

With reference to the flow diagram of FIG. 10A, there are illustratedsteps of a method 1000 for communicating using a dual mode base station.The method 1000 starts at step 1005, where the availability/operatingstatus of the backhaul is analyzed to determine (at step 1010) whetherthe backhaul is available. At step 1015, if the status indicates thatthe backhaul is not available, then a repeater module or the like isselected as the data service provider for a given AT (repeater mode).The selected repeater will be responsible for transferring most or allof the data (i) between the given AT and a macro network or (ii) betweenthe given AT and AP base stations associated with other femto cells.

At step 1020, if the status indicates that the backhaul is available,then a femto cell module or the like is selected as the data serviceprovider for the given AT (femto mode). This means that the selectedfemto cell module will be responsible for transferring most or all ofthe data between the given AT and the macro network core of the macronetwork.

At step 1025, the method 1000 involves determining whether the basestation is simultaneously operating as a femto cell AP and as a repeater(femto-repeater mode). For example, with reference to embodiment of FIG.4A, base station 400 can be in femto-repeater mode when both femto cellmodule 410 and repeater module 420 are operating at the same time, witheach module servicing different mobile devices. If base station 400 isset to operate in femto-repeater mode, then neither the femto cellmodule nor the repeater module will be powered down or placed into sleepmode. Rather, both modules will remain or be powered on if they are notalready operational in step 1030. Additionally, in femto-repeater mode,base station 400 may be configured to manage the transmission power ofthe transceivers, as outlined in FIG. 10B.

At step 1035, the femto cell module may optionally be powered down orplaced in sleep mode. At step 1040, the repeater module may be powereddown or placed in sleep mode if the base station is not operating indual or femto-repeater mode. After steps 1035 or 1040, the method 1000may return to step 1005 and the above-described steps may be repeated.

With reference FIG. 10B, the method 1000 may further comprise monitoringthe power levels of transmissions to ATs (step 1055), and controlling oradjusting the power levels of transmissions such that interferencesassociated with nearby ATs are reduced or minimized (step 1060). In onescenario, wherein the dual mode base station includes two transceivers(e.g., femto transceiver and repeater transceiver), the method 1000proceeds to step 1050, which may involve monitoring the transmissionpower levels of both the femto cell and repeater transceivers (step1055). At step 1060, the method 1000 may involve controlling the powerlevels of the respective transceivers to reduce any interference thatmay occur between signals transmitted by the respective transceivers.For example, the power levels of the femto transceiver and the repeatertransceiver may be approximately matched, thereby balancing the coverageregions for the ATs communicating with the femto and repeatertransceivers.

In accordance with one or more aspects of the embodiments describedherein, there are provided devices and apparatuses for providingwireless coverage redundancy. With reference to FIG. 11A, there isprovided an exemplary apparatus 1100 that may be configured as either acommunication device or base station, or as a processor or similardevice for use within a communication device or base station. Asillustrated, apparatus 1100 may comprise a means 1150 for monitoring acommunication backhaul (e.g., DSL, cable internet access, Ethernet, orthe like). The apparatus 1100 may comprise a means 1160 for, in responseto the backhaul being available, facilitating communication between anaccess terminal (AT) and a macro network via the backhaul. The apparatus1100 may comprise a means 1170 for, in response to the backhaul notbeing available, boosting a communication signal between the AT and abase station 1171, such as, for example, (i) a macro base station inoperative communication with the macro network or (ii) an AP basestation associated with another communication backhaul that is inoperative communication with the macro network.

With reference to FIG. 11B, the means 1160 for facilitating may comprisea means 1162 for allowing the AT to access an access point (AP) ofapparatus 1100 in operative communication with the backhaul, and a means1164 for allowing the macro network to locate and communicate with theAT via the AP. The means 1170 for boosting may comprise: a means 1172for receiving the signal; a means 1174 for amplifying the receivedsignal; and a means 1176 for forwarding the amplified signal to at leastone of the AT and the base station 1171. Apparatus 1100 may alsocomprise a means 1180 for communicating with (i) the macro network viathe backhaul and (ii) the base station (e.g., a femto-repeatertransceiver or the like).

With reference to FIG. 11C, apparatus 1100 may comprise a means 1190 forcommunicating with the macro network via the backhaul (e.g., a femtotransceiver or the like) and/or a means 1192 for communicating with thebase station 1171 (e.g., a repeater transceiver or the like). Apparatus1100 may also comprise a means 1200 for regulating at least one of (i) afirst transmission power of the means 1190 for communicating with themacro network via the backhaul and (ii) a second transmission power ofthe means 1192 for communicating with the base station 1171 to reduceinterference between first and second transmissions. The means 1200 forregulating may comprise a means 1210 for matching the first and secondtransmission powers.

It is noted that apparatus 1100 may optionally include a processormodule 1130 having at least one processor, in the case of apparatus 1100configured as a communication terminal or dual mode base station, ratherthan as a processor. Processor 1130, in such case, may be in operativecommunication with means 1150-1210, and components thereof, via a bus1102 or similar communication coupling. Processor 1130 may effectinitiation and scheduling of the processes or functions performed bymeans 1150-1210, and components thereof.

Apparatus 1100 may optionally include a backhaul interface 1110 for thebackhaul in operative communication with a macro network. Apparatus 1100may optionally include a transceiver module 1120 for communicating withat least one of (i) the AT, (ii) the macro network via the backhaul, and(iii) the base station 1171. A stand alone receiver and/or stand alonetransmitter may be used in lieu of or in conjunction with thetransceiver 1120.

In related aspects, transceiver module 1120 may comprise a transceiverfor communicating with (i) the macro network via the backhaul and (ii)the base station 1171. In the alternative, the transceiver module 1120may comprise a first transceiver for communicating with the macronetwork via the backhaul and/or a second transceiver for communicatingwith the base station 1171. The processor module 1130 may regulate atleast one of (i) a first transmission power of the first transceiver and(ii) a second transmission power of the second transceiver to reduceinterference between first and second transmissions. For example, theprocessor module 1120 may match the first and second transmissionpowers.

In further related aspects, apparatus 1100 may optionally include ameans for storing information, such as, for example, a memorydevice/module 1140. Computer readable medium or memory device/module1140 may be operatively coupled to the other components of apparatus1100 via bus 1102 or the like. The computer readable medium or memorydevice 1140 may be adapted to store computer readable instructions anddata for effecting the processes and behavior of means 1150-1210, andcomponents thereof, or processor 1130 (in the case of apparatus 1100configured as a dual mode base station or the like) or the methodsdisclosed herein.

In yet further related aspects, the memory module 1140 may optionallyinclude executable code for the processor module 1130 to: (a) monitor anavailability/operating status of the backhaul; (b) in response to thebackhaul being available, facilitate communication between the AT andthe macro network via the backhaul; and/or (c) in response to thebackhaul not being available, boosting a communication signal betweenthe AT and the base station 1171. One or more of steps (a)-(c) may beperformed by processor module 1130 in lieu of or in conjunction with themeans 1150-1210 described above.

While this application describes particular examples of the presentinvention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the presentinvention without departing from the inventive concept. For example, theteachings herein refer to circuit-switched network elements but areequally applicable to packet-switched domain network elements. It isnoted that the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as anexample, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

It will be appreciated that, in accordance with one or more aspectsdescribed herein, inferences can be made regarding determiningcommunication parameters for a plurality of surrounding femto cellsand/or macro cells as described. As used herein, the term to “infer,” or“inference,” refers generally to the process of reasoning about orinferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set ofobservations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can beemployed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate aprobability distribution over states, for example. The inference can beprobabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distributionover states of interest based on a consideration of data and events.Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composinghigher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inferenceresults in the construction of new events or actions from a set ofobserved events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events arecorrelated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and datacome from one or several event and data sources.

Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unlessotherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposedto limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” shouldbe read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term“example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item indiscussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or“an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or thelike; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,”“standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construedas limiting the item described to a given time period or to an itemavailable as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompassconventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may beavailable or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, wherethis document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known toone of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass thoseapparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in thefuture.

A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read asrequiring that each and every one of those items be present in thegrouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly statedotherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or”should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, butrather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly statedotherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of theinvention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural iscontemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to thesingular is explicitly stated.

The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “atleast,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instancesshall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or requiredin instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.

Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are described interms of exemplary block diagrams, flow charts and other illustrations.As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art afterreading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their variousalternatives can be implemented without confinement to the illustratedexamples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying descriptionshould not be construed as mandating a particular architecture orconfiguration.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,”and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, eitherhardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, orsoftware in execution. For example, a component can be, but is notlimited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, anobject, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and/or acomputer. By way of illustration, both an application running on acomputing device and the computing device can be a component. One ormore components can reside within a process and/or thread of executionand a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributedbetween two or more computers. In addition, these components can executefrom various computer readable media having various data structuresstored thereon. The components can communicate by way of local and/orremote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or moredata packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with anothercomponent in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a networksuch as the internet with other systems by way of the signal).

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed herein in an example of exemplary approaches. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged while remainingwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying methodclaims present elements of the various steps in sample order, and arenot meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, methods and algorithmsdescribed in connection with the examples disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,methods and algorithms have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

Furthermore, various embodiments are described herein in connection witha mobile device. A mobile device can also be called a system, subscriberunit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile, remote station, remoteterminal, Access Terminal (AT), user terminal, terminal, wirelesscommunication device, user agent, user device, or User Equipment (UE). Amobile device can be a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, aSession Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL)station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device havingwireless connection capability, computing device, or other processingdevice connected to a wireless modem. Moreover, various embodiments aredescribed herein in connection with a base station. A base station canbe utilized for communicating with mobile device(s) and can also bereferred to as an access point, Node B, evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB),base transceiver station (BTS) or some other terminology.

Moreover, various aspects or features described herein can beimplemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture usingstandard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term “article ofmanufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer programaccessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. Forexample, computer-readable media can include but are not limited tomagnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips,etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk(DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., ErasableProgrammable Read Only Memory (EPROM), card, stick, key drive, etc.).Additionally, various storage media described herein can represent oneor more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storinginformation. The term “machine-readable medium” can include, withoutbeing limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable ofstoring, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s) and/or data.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication systems such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),Multiple-Carrier CDMA (MC-CDMA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), High-SpeedPacket Access (HSPA, HSPA+), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency DivisionMultiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Domain Multiplexing(SC-FDMA) and other multiple access systems/techniques. The terms“system” and “network” may be used interchangeably. A CDMA system mayimplement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access(UTRA), CDMA2000, etc. UTRA may include W-CDMA and/or other variants ofCDMA. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA systemmay implement a radio technology such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technologysuch as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA andE-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS).3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an upcoming release of UMTS that usesE-UTRA, which employs OFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink.UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documents from anorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000and UMB are described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). It is further noted that thewireless communication system described herein may implement one or morestandards, such as, for example, IS-95, CDMA2000, IS-856, W-CDMA,TD-SCDMA, etc.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor(DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a FieldProgrammable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the examplesdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory,Read-Only Memory (ROM), EPROM, Electrically Erasable ProgrammableRead-Only Memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storagemedium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can readinformation from, and write information to, the storage medium. In thealternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Theprocessor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readablemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code inthe form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed bya computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention.Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widestscope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless coverage redundancy,comprising: monitoring a communication backhaul in operativecommunication with a macro network; in response to the backhaul beingavailable, facilitating communication between an access terminal (AT)and the macro network via the backhaul and determining whether an accesspoint (AP) base station simultaneously operates as an AP and a repeater,wherein an authorized AT uses the AP base station as an AP while anunauthorized AT uses the AP base station as a repeater; and in responseto the backhaul not being available, boosting a communication signalbetween the AT and a base station in operative communication with themacro network.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring comprisesmonitoring at least one of digital subscriber line (DSL), cable internetaccess, Ethernet, T1, fiber, and Wi-Fi.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein facilitating comprises allowing the AT to access the accesspoint (AP) base station in operative communication with the backhaul. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein facilitating further comprises allowingthe macro network to communicate with the AT via the AP base station. 5.The method of claim 1, wherein boosting comprises boosting the signalbetween the AT and a macro base station in operative communication withthe macro network.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising boostingthe signal between another AT and a macro base station in operativecommunication with the macro network.
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinboosting comprises boosting the signal between the AT and a separate APbase station associated with another communication backhaul in operativecommunication with the macro network.
 8. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising boosting the signal between another AT and a separate AP basestation associated with another communication backhaul in operativecommunication with the macro network.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinboosting comprises: receiving the signal from the macro network;amplifying the received signal; and forwarding the amplified signal tothe AT.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein boosting comprises: receivingthe signal from the AT; amplifying the received signal; and forwardingthe amplified signal to the macro network.
 11. The method of claim 1,further comprising regulating at least one of (i) a first power level ofa first transmission to the AT and (ii) a second power level of a secondtransmission to another AT to reduce interference between the first andsecond transmissions.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein regulatingcomprises matching the first and second power levels.
 13. An accesspoint (AP) base station, comprising: a backhaul interface for acommunication backhaul in operative communication with a macro network;a transceiver module for communicating with at least one of (i) anaccess terminal (AT), (ii) the macro network via the backhaul, and (iii)a base station in operative communication with the macro network; atleast one processor operatively coupled with the interface and thetransceiver module; and a memory module operatively coupled with the atleast one processor and comprising executable code for the at least oneprocessor to: (a) monitor the backhaul; (b) in response to the backhaulbeing available, facilitate communication between the AT and the macronetwork via the backhaul and determine whether the AP base stationsimultaneously operates as an AP and a repeater, wherein an authorizedAT uses the AP base station as an AP while an unauthorized AT uses theAP base station as a repeater; and (c) in response to the backhaul notbeing available, boosting a communication signal between the AT and thebase station.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the backhaul comprisesat least one of digital subscriber line (DSL), cable internet access,Ethernet, T1, fiber, and Wi-Fi.
 15. The device of claim 13, wherein theat least one processor facilitates the communication between the AT andthe macro network by allowing the AT to access the access point (AP) ofthe device in operative communication with the backhaul.
 16. The deviceof claim 15, wherein the at least one processor allows the macro networkto communicate with the AT via the AP base station.
 17. The device ofclaim 13, wherein the base station comprises a macro base station inoperative communication with the macro network.
 18. The device of claim13, wherein the base station comprises a separate AP base stationassociated with another communication backhaul in operativecommunication with the macro network.
 19. The device of claim 13,wherein the at least one processor boosts the communication signal by:receiving the signal from the macro network; amplifying the receivedsignal; and forwarding the amplified signal to the AT.
 20. The device ofclaim 13, wherein the at least one processor boosts the communicationsignal by: receiving the signal from the AT; amplifying the receivedsignal; and forwarding the amplified signal to the macro network. 21.The device of claim 13, wherein the transceiver module comprises atransceiver for communicating with (i) the macro network via thebackhaul and (ii) the base station.
 22. The device of claim 13, whereinthe transceiver module comprises a first transceiver for communicatingwith the macro network via the backhaul.
 23. The device of claim 22,wherein the transceiver module comprises a second transceiver forcommunicating with the base station.
 24. The device of claim 23, whereinthe at least one processor regulates at least one of (i) a firsttransmission power of the first transceiver and (ii) a secondtransmission power of the second transceiver to reduce interferencebetween first and second transmissions.
 25. The device of claim 24,wherein the at least one processor matches the first and secondtransmission powers.
 26. An access point (AP) base station, comprising:means for monitoring a communication backhaul in operative communicationwith a macro network; means for facilitating communication between anaccess terminal (AT) and the macro network via the backhaul in responseto the backhaul being available; means for determining whether the APbase station simultaneously operates as an AP and a repeater in responseto the backhaul being available, wherein an authorized AT uses the APbase station as an AP while an unauthorized AT uses the AP base stationas a repeater; and means for boosting a communication signal between theAT and a base station in operative communication with the macro networkin response to the backhaul not being available.
 27. The apparatus ofclaim 26, wherein the backhaul comprises at least one of digitalsubscriber line (DSL), cable internet access, Ethernet, T1, fiber, andWi-Fi.
 28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for facilitatingcomprises means for allowing the AT to access the access point (AP) ofthe apparatus in operative communication with the backhaul.
 29. Theapparatus of claim 28, wherein the means for facilitating comprisesmeans for allowing the macro network to communicate with the AT via theAP base station.
 30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the base stationcomprises a macro base station in operative communication with the macronetwork.
 31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the base stationcomprises a separate AP base station associated with anothercommunication backhaul in operative communication with the macronetwork.
 32. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for boostingcomprises: means for receiving the signal from the macro network; meansfor amplifying the received signal; and means for forwarding theamplified signal to the AT.
 33. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein themeans for boosting comprises: means for receiving the signal from theAT; means for amplifying the received signal; and means for forwardingthe amplified signal to the macro network.
 34. The apparatus of claim26, further comprising means for communicating with (i) the macronetwork via the backhaul and (ii) the base station.
 35. The apparatus ofclaim 26, further comprising means for communicating with the macronetwork via the backhaul.
 36. The apparatus of claim 35, furthercomprising means for communicating with the base station.
 37. Theapparatus of claim 36, further comprising means for regulating at leastone of (i) a first transmission power of the means for communicatingwith the macro network via the backhaul and (ii) a second transmissionpower of the means for communicating with the base station to reduceinterference between first and second transmissions.
 38. The apparatusof claim 37, wherein the means for regulating comprises a means formatching the first and second transmission powers.
 39. A computerprogram product, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable mediumcomprising: code for causing a computer to monitor a communicationbackhaul in operative communication with a macro network code forcausing a computer to, in response to the backhaul being available,facilitate communication between an access terminal (AT) and the macronetwork via the backhaul and determine whether an access point (AP) basestation simultaneously operates as an AP and a repeater, wherein anauthorized AT uses the AP base station as an AP while an unauthorized ATuses the AP base station as a repeater; and code for causing a computerto, in response to the backhaul not being available, boost acommunication signal between the AT and a base station in operativecommunication with the macro network.
 40. The computer program productof claim 39, wherein the backhaul comprises at least one of digitalsubscriber line (DSL), cable internet access, Ethernet, T1, fiber, andWi-Fi.
 41. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein thebackhaul is in operative communication with the access point (AP) basestation.
 42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the APbase station allows the macro network to communicate with the AT. 43.The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the base stationcomprises a macro base station in operative communication with the macronetwork.
 44. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the basestation comprises a separate AP base station associated with anothercommunication backhaul in operative communication with the macronetwork.
 45. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein thecomputer-readable medium further comprises code for causing a computerto regulate at least one of (i) a first power level of a firsttransmission to the AT and (ii) a second power level of a secondtransmission to another AT to reduce interference between the first andsecond transmissions.
 46. The computer program product of claim 45,wherein the first and second power levels are matched.